The federal government, through the Ministry of Petroleum Resources (Gas), and private sector players have partnered to donate 1,000 cooking gas cylinders to low-income households in the six area councils of the FCT.
Speaking at the Apo Resettlement in Abuja yesterday, the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, said the distribution marked the Inaugural LPG Penetration Programme and the LPG Bottle Distribution as part of the Clean Cooking Initiative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
The Minister said, 'This event is an ideal fit for the president's theme: 'From Gas to Prosperity: Renewed Hope'. The administration's determination to increase domestic gas use has been reaffirmed by our president on several occasions.
"We're not only introducing a programme today; we're on a mission to change millions of Nigerians' lives in our six geographical zones. By 2030, we want to convert 250,000 houses a year to clean cooking gas, which is a lofty but attainable target."
Ekpo noted that it was impossible to overestimate the negative consequences of utilising conventional fuels, adding that their contribution to deforestation, environmental degradation and harmful health impacts from indoor air pollution was substantial.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, thanked President Tinubu and Ekpo for the distribution initiative, saying women were the worst affected from the hazards of the use of charcoal and firewood as cooking fuels.
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Minister of Youths, Dr Jamila Bio Ibrahim, described the event as a ground-breaking initiative that would impact millions of Nigerians who used firewood, charcoal and kerosene.
She said there were lots of job creation opportunities along the LPG value chain, and expressed delight with the the Gas to Prosperity programme.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum, Ambassador Nicholas Agbo Ella, noted that the challenges were enormous but surmountable.
He urged the beneficiaries to deploy the usage with safety in mind in order not to endanger their families.
The Coordinator of the Decade of Gas, Mr Ed Ubong, said, "We are targeting mainly women, and that informs our location of distribution.
"Cooking gas is cleaner, and we have an enormous gas resource. So, we are partnering with the private sector to deploy about 250,000 every year.
The CEO of Smart Gas, Dr Yinka Opeke, provided on-the-spot guidance on how to safely use the cylinder.
